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Politics Indiana V15 N17 Thursday Dec. 4, 2008 New urgency on WMD front Roemer, Lugar renew warnings on terror in the homeland; CIA speculation By BRIAN A. HOWEY INDIANAPOLIS - “The de- struction of an American city in our lifetime ....” Those were the words echoing multilayer defens- Former Indiana from Sen. Dick Lugar’s presidential campaign of 1995-96. A es. Our margin of congressman dozen years later, Americans distracted by collapses on Wall safety is shrinking, Tim Roemer Street and in Detroit awoke on Tuesday to similar warnings, not growing.” (far left) with this time from “World At Risk: The Report of the Commis- The report Obama at sion on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism.” describes agents Wayne HS last It predicts a WMD attack on America within five of terror staking April. Roemer years. out a pathogen lab is a potential The report states, “The intent of this report is at Georgia State CIA director neither to frighten nor reassure the American people about University. “They candidate. the current state of terrorism and weapons of mass de- were agents on a (HPI Photo) struction. It is to underscore that the U.S. government has mission and they yet to fully adapt to these circumstances and to convey the See Page 3 sobering reality that the risks are growing faster than our Cap slide in Muncie By BRIAN A. HOWEY MUNCIE - It started snowing lightly in Middletown USA late Monday afternoon. Six hours later, 911 dispatch- ers reported more than 50 traffic accidents on unsalted streets. Just a normal Hoosier “Let’s look at the millions of winter day? No. It could be- come a Michael Bilandic moment jobs lost if we lose the auto with repercussions going all the way to the Indiana Statehouse. industry.” Bilandic was the 49th mayor of Chicago, chosen to replace the - UAW Chief Ron Gettelfinger late Mayor Richard J. Daley in December 1976. He would have won a term of his own except that a blizzard shut the city HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 2 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday Dec. 4, 2008 down and Bilandic lost to Jane Byrne mayor fully responsible. I could have Howey Politics in the Democratic primary in the been killed.” spring of 1977. Could have been killed. Indiana Now there are all sorts of Ouch. is a nonpartisan news- distinctions between Bilandic and Muncie has become the poster letter based in Indianapolis Muncie Mayor Sharon McShurley, city for HB1001 reaction and this is be- who took office (albeit by a har- fore the full array of caps really come and published by NewsLink rowingly thin plurality) in January. into play. This is the just the ramp up. Since then, McShurley thwarted a The years 2009 and 2010 are going Inc. It was founded in bid to have the election overturned, to create other revenue dilemmas for 1994 in Fort Wayne. watched the Indiana General Assem- cities. Michigan City has cut $6 million bly pass the 1-2-3 property tax caps out of its budget and New Albany cut with HB1001 (which tamped down a $1.5 million and fire and police chiefs Brian A. Howey, publisher property tax rebellion simmering in have no overtime budgets. Lake County Mark Schoeff Jr., her city), appeared Washington writer with Gov. Mitch Daniels at the Indiana Jack E. Howey, editor Republican Conven- Beverly Phillips, associate tion, and by this fall editor and subscription declared a “financial management emergency” (the first time we’ve ever Subscriptions: heard of one). Sev- $350 annually HPI via e-mail; eral weeks ago, the $550 annually HPI & HPI Daily McShurley administra- tion announced that Wire. it would only plow the Call 317-627-6746 streets during busi- ness hours Monday through Friday. Howey Politics Indiana Candor is 6255 North Evanston always good public Indianapolis, IN 46220 policy. If the streets aren’t going to be Gov. Daniels shakes hands with Muncie Mayor Sharon plowed or salted, the Contact Us: McShurley right after his Indiana Republican Convention ac- public needs to know. ceptance speech last June. (HPI Photo by Brian A. Howey) www.howeypolitics.com But in doing so, it also [email protected] opens up an array of Main Office: 317-202-0210. reactions. slashed 112 jobs and $15 million. May- For instance, Muncie Police ors in South Bend and LaPorte are do- Howey’s Mobile: 317-506-0883. told the Star Press that many of the ing what Gov. Daniels, Speaker Bauer Indianapolis Fax: 317-254-0535. Monday accidents were caused by and President Long want them to do: Washington: 202-256-5822. motorists driving too fast, following pass Local Option Income Taxes to fill Business Office: 317-631-9450. too close, etc. And there was the any budgetary shortfalls. political reaction and some real bad While Mayor McShurley ©2008, Howey Politics press. Many blamed Mayor McShur- won’t be facing the ballot box for an- Indiana. All rights reserved. ley. Karla Lance told the Star Press, other three years, the political conse- Photocopying, Internet forwarding, that she called the mayor’s office quences will play out at the Statehouse faxing or reproducing in any form, to leave McShurley a message that where Daniels, Long and House Minor- admittedly “wasn’t very nice.” ity Leader Brian Bosma will push for in whole or part, is a violation of “I told them to thank the the second vote creating a 2010 ref- federal law without permission from mayor for not salting the roads and erendum on the caps. Bauer wants to the publisher. to tell her now I don’t have a car,” wait until 2010. Daniels put a premium Lance said. “It’s wrecked. I hold the on “certainty” in the tax system and HOWEY Politics Indiana Page 3 Weekly Briefing on Indiana Politics Thursday Dec. 4, 2008 said, “Every taxpayer ought to worry about a double cross,” LaPorte and South Bend actively heeding the advice of he said of future governors and legislators who might fall Daniels, Bauer and Long in seeking income taxes to replace back into pre-cap era. property taxes. “That list is getting longer,” Simmons said. Daniels scoffed at the notion Senate Minor- IACT is compiling statistics on how much cities and ity Leader Vi Simpson stressed last month, saying that towns have sliced from their budgets and will release its the original Legislative Services Agency estimates went “State of the Cities and Towns” in early January. only two years out and that more information would be Taxpayers will be balancing their lower prop- needed. “It’s not a question of information,” Daniels said erty tax bills (and for many mortgage payments) with the at his presser in Mount Comfort on Tuesday. In his mind, services they receive. In Gary, it’s a question as to whether it’s about government living within a budget as opposed to the 13 firefighters recently laid off are really needed. The determining a budget and then sending the bill to taxpay- city’s pitch for monetary help to the state’s Distressed Unit ers. Appeals Board won’t be subtle, Gary Mayor Rudy Clay But Jennifer Simmons of the Association of Indi- told the Times of Northwest Indiana. “Gary has to be one ana Cities and Towns says her organization favors delaying of the most distressed cities in America,” Clay said. “We the cap vote until 2010. “We want to see what cuts have already have cut $36.5 million in the last three years. We been made and see projected cuts for 2010,” she said. have laid off more than 200 people. We have police and Another glaring problem is that while counties can pass Lo- fire on layoff. Our employees are working five days but only cal Option Income Taxes, cities can’t. South Bend must go getting paid for four. I’m working for seven and getting through the St. Joseph County Council on Dec. 15 to pass paid for four.” The mayor said the city will ask the board by its requested 1.25 percent option. Monday’s deadline to modify $47 million in state-mandated Simmons says there are scenarios where mayors property tax cuts that - if unchanged - will gut the city’s and city councils back a LOIT, but a county council - which budget by 58 percent in two years. tend to be very conservative and Republican - may balk. In South Bend, it’s whether it needs 1,200 city em- “Local officials want to see homeowners get property tax ployees, more than any other second class city in the state. cuts. However, the shift comes at a cost. We’re seeing that In Muncie, it could be how slick the streets get and this year. In 2009 there is going to be more across the whether there’s the political will to raise corresponding op- board pain, and even deeper cuts in services by 2010.” tion income taxes to keep the streets plowed. v She said that there is a short list of cities like WMD came not at night, which might have looked suspi- cious, but in broad daylight.” It continues, “Hiding in plain sight on a city street in Atlanta, they walked the perimeter of one of America’s five biological laboratories where sci- entists worked on the world’s most deadly patho- gens. They had come to this lab at Georgia State University in 2008 as part of their assignment to quietly case facilities designated as Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) labs, the highest level of biological con- tainment, required for work with the most danger- ous viruses.